Writing Design: Words and Objects

Writing Design provides a unique look at the process and consequences of converting the material properties of designed goods into verbal or textual description. It examines how we learn about the objects that surround us: we gather sensory information by viewing and using objects, but we also learn about objects through the written and spoken word, from product labels, store signage, and recommendations from friends, social media and traditional media.

Even as design commentators have become increasingly preoccupied with issues of mediation, the intersection of design and language has remained, heretofore, under-explored. Issues discussed in this book include the role of text in informing design consumption, designing with and through language, and the challenges and opportunities raised by design without language. Bringing together a wide range of scholars and practitioners, Writing Design reveals the difficulties, ethics and politics of writing about design.